Researchers undertake the myth that eating disorders only affect women by training general doctors to identify symptoms to men and provide better care without stigma.
Study: Intervention against stigmatizing men with eating disorders in Primary Care (Ismesh): Protocol for a randomized mixed method of mixed methods. Credit Picture: F01 Photo/Shutterstock.com
A recent PLOS ONE The study discussed an intervention against men’s stigmatization with eating disorders in primary care (ISMESH) to reduce the stigma against eating disorders (EDS) in men, to realize the sensitization between German generals (GPS).
Eating Disorders in men and stigmatizing
The most common forms of EDS are nervous bulimia, the disorder eating and anorexia nervosa. People with ED report a significantly higher risk of mortality than the general population. The cost of treatment is also significant due to the frequent occurrence in adolescence, the long -term treatment and repetitive patient stays.
Some estimates suggest that men represent one in four cases of ED. However, they remain under -heightened in the research and care of the ED. One important reason for this under -representation could be the stigma associated with EDS, which are widely regarded as “women’s diseases” and are considered to contradict traditional male identity patterns. This self -proclaimed prevents men from revealing ED symptoms and seeking help. Even for medical professionals, the stereotype of ED as “women’s diseases” shapes their views. Therefore, the question of how to deal with stigma and stereotypes among medical professionals about men with EDS remains unresolved.
Study goals and sample selection
This study aims to raise awareness of the issue of EDs among men and to raise GPS awareness of primary care in Germany at the EDS event in men. An intervention in EDS in boys and men for doctors is developing, propagating and evaluated as part of this effort.
The study follows a successive design of mixed methods, including the pre-application catering groups and the discussions of the groups, a randomized audited phase of online training and quality post-implementation interviews. The case is that participation in the intervention will lead to individual reductions in stigmatizing attitudes and increases in knowledge and self-efficacy.
Study participants will be hired at national level, including adult males with live EDS experience, GPS and medical students. Men with a live experience of an ED will participate in the pre-application phase, contributing to the development and improvement of intervention and not the randomization test itself. Participants with live experience of an ED were adult men willing to provide written consensus and had received a current or previous diagnosis of ED. The catering team will include GPS that regularly treats men in their healthcare institution.
Eligible participants will be randomized to a waiting control group (ie, 14-day delay before access to the training internet) or the intervention group (ie, immediate access to self-regulated online training period) in ratio Evaluations. The total duration of training is 45-50 minutes.
The primary results include the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and aspects of the edited mark-related stigma and a series of implementation results based on the results of application, such as acceptance, feasibility, suitability and adoption.
The secondary result will include perceptions associated with the stigma of eds in men. A sample size of 74 participants is necessary to achieve the best results, that is, at least 37 participants per group. The study aims to include an experimental group of about 50 GPS and a control group of another 50 GPS. In addition, about 50 medical students in their clinical training will also complete the training to explore their educational importance. The recruitment and data collection began on July 23, 2024 and are expected to be completed by November 1, 2025. The results are expected by the end of 2025.
Collection, analysis and data monitoring
Participants’ data will be collected nicknames through electronic data download tools. The cognitive aspect of the stigma will be evaluated in terms of deficiencies of knowledge about EDS in men and boys. A modified version of the German original Stigma Scale mind for healthcare providers (OMS-HC) will be used to measure the emotional aspect of the stigma. A customized version of the General Scale of Self-Effectiveness (GSE) will be used to assess the behavioral aspect of the stigma. Basic variables, such as the approval of the gender role, will also be evaluated using the traditional scale of masculinity-tMF (TMF). The data will be collected in socio -demographic characteristics, including age, sexual orientation, sex and others.
The quantitative data management will be addressed using the Moodle Learning management system and JSPSYCH research tools. At the same time, quality data (from interviews and focusing groups) will be transcribed and analyzed using Maxqda. The recordings will be used to collect quality data. Personal and results will be stored separately and evaluated for reliability, completeness, quality and range validation. The quantitative data analyzes will be performed using R and SPSS in two sets: analyzes per protocol and intent for treatment. Quality data will be analyzed thematically following the Braun and Clarke framework (2006).
The study does not include experimental manipulations, so there will be no data monitoring committee. Participants can contact the main researcher at any time and the participation is completely voluntary. Side effects are likely to be addressed on a case -by -case basis in cooperation with the relevant participants and these events will be substantiated in scientific publications.
Conclusions
The Ismesh intervention aims to raise awareness of German primary care in the event and the appearance of EDS to men, to give the necessary skills and to combat stigmatization that EDS is “women’s diseases”.
The main force of this intervention revolves around its integrated nature, aiming for different aspects of stigma. Participants’ participants with live experience guarantees that the intervention is aligned with the requirements of those most affected. With the participation of GPS and medical students, the project also seeks to integrate the awareness and training against sigma at multiple professional levels.
The main restriction of this study is that it will not evaluate the long -term implementation results. In addition, the findings cannot be generalized due to the use of self -reported data and the close focus on the German healthcare system.
